Centrifugal machine for continuous operation



Aug. 3, l1954 n E- REGG, CENTRIFUGAL` MACHINE FOR coNTNUoUSoPERATIoN -2 sheets-sheet y1 f Filed Aug. 20,1 1951 Commutator Motor g T Rzdm n1.. ISQwT m Bmw .9 B

i RUEGG Aug. 3, 1954 2,685,370

I -CENTRJgFUGAL MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUS OPERATION Filed Aug. 20, 1951 action to those of Fig. l, they have been provided with corresponding reference numerals in the various figures.

In Fig. 1, I is the cage of a push-type centrifuge. This cage I is of the sieve-lter type and it is rigidly connected through a disc 2 to a driving shaft 3 constructed as a hollow shaft. The driving shaft 3 has a portion widened out to form a cylinder 4. A rotational movement is imparted by an electric motor 31 and a belt driving 52 to the parts I, 2, 3 and 4, which form a rotor. Housed in the cylinder 4 is a displaceable piston 5 which engages by means of a key 51 a longitudinal groove 41 in the said cylinder, so that it is driven on rotation of the cylinder 4, while the said longitudinal slot permits axial movements of the piston 5 in relation to the cylinder The piston 5 is rigidly connected by a rod 5 to the push member constructed as a push-bottom 7. Connected for rotation with this pushbottom thediameter of which is such as to provide a small clearance with respect to the cage I by which it is surrounded, is a. filling funnel 8. An axially displaceable control member 52 admits oil under pressure, delivered by a pump 53 into a chamber 54, alternately to the one or other side of the piston 5 which accordingly moves continuously backwards and forwards in the cylinder I during the rotation of the cage I, imparting thereby corresponding movements to the push-bottom I and to the inlet funnel 8, so that these parts 7, 8 are moved axially in relation to the cage I. The member 52 and the pump 53 are both operatively connected to a motor 55.

The material to be centrifuged flows out of a storage container 9 through a non-rotating feed pipe into the inlet funnel 8. The said feed pipe comprises a flexible portion It and a tube II rigidly connected thereto. I8 is secured to the container 9, and the tube II leads into the distribution chamber of the machine, the said distribution chamber being externally bounded by the funnel 8. This is an imperforate conical shell adapted to resist the entrance of atmospheric air. Situated between the delivery end of the tube iI and that part of the funnel which surrounds the said end is a stuiiing box I2 which forms a gas-tight and a liquid-tight seal between the funnel 8 and the u delivery end of tube II. The distribution chamber is thus substantially isolated from the atmosphere. A rod I1 is fixed at one end to the push-bottom 'I so as to rotate therewith and is mounted at the other end, which is fashioned as a disc 'I2 having convex surfaces, in a housing I3 between two axial ball bearings 74. The housing 'I3 is secured to an extension 'I5 of the tube II. The tube II is thus forced to follow the axial movements of the rod I1 and consequently those of the push-bottom I, which is rendered possible by the flexible portion IG of the feed pipe. For these axial movements, rails I3 secured to the machine housing 131 serve as guides for the tube I I. For the sake of completeness, it is mentioned that the reference numeral I4 designates chambers which serve to collect the liquid forced through the sieve of the cage I.

In the centrifugal machine described, Vthe stuing box I2 separates the distribution Vcharnber in the interior of the machine, which chamber is filled with material to be centrifuged, in an air-tight manner from the atmosphere, so that no harmful ventilation can occur in this chamber. The stu'ing box I2 also prevents ma- The flexible portion terial to be centrifuged from passing into a trap I5 receiving the centrifuged material.

In order to prevent the setting up of a greater unbalance in the inlet funnel and to prevent the speed of flow therein from falling below a certain value dependent upon the material to be centrifuged, it is advisable to provide within the inlet funnel 8, and coaxially thereto as shown in Fig. 2, an inserted structure I3 having a filter screen I'I. The mass of material contained in the funnel 8 can thus be reduced and better distributed. If such an inserted structure Iii with filter screen I7 is provided, a separation or pre-elimination of liquid can be effected in the chamber bounded by the inlet funnel 8 and the inserted structure I6, as indicated in hori- Zontal chain lines in Fig. 2. This liquid can iiow off through the filter screen I'I. .alternatively, a tube 81 may extend into the said chamber for discharging the separated liquid. In this case, the outlet end of this tube 81 lies higher than the level of the material to be centrifuged which is stored in the container 9.

In order to prevent material to be centrifugated, which should pass through the stuffing box I2 provided at the entry of the feed pipe II into the inlet funnel, from passing into the trap I5, it is advisable, as shown in Fig. 3, to provide a supplementary funnel I9 outside the funnel 8, ccaxially in relation thereto. These two funnels I and B dene together a chamber 2t terminating in the neighbourhood of the outlet aperture of the funnel 8. Through this chamber 2i] the leakage material passing through the stufnng box I2 can flow off into the separator cage I.

Fig. 4 shows a form of construction in which a tube 22 of the feed pipe, extending into the distribution chamber of the machine, is pivotally mounted on the machine housing at one end at 23 and is spherically fashioned at the outlet end 2t. This end separates, in conjunction with a correspondingly spherical surface of an intermediate ring 32 bearing against the inlet funnel 8, the distribution chamber of the machine in a gastight and liquid-tight manner from the atmosphere. The pressing force required for the tight bearing of the said spherical surfaces is produced by a spring 25 adjustable by a nut 251. This spring 25 bears at one end against the sphericallyshaped part I6 of the rod 71, which is provided with a joint 18, and at the other end against a disc "I7 fixed to the rod 11. The parts I6 and 'I7 are enclosed in a housing I9 provided on the tube 22.

Finally, Figs. 5 and 6 show a form of construction in which the feed pipe comprises a T-shaped link pin '28, 281 and a tubular portion 29 secured to the storage container 9. The vertical arm 28 of the link pin extends into the distribution chamber of the cage and the tubular portion 29 extends into the horizontal arm 281 of the link pin, there being provided at this leading-in point a stuffing box 33 sealing the interior of the feed pipe from the outside. Near to the discharge end of the substantially vertical arm 28 is provided a spherical surface 32 which is intended to cooperate with a correspondingly spherically fashioned surface of an intermediate ring 34 which bears against a hooked end of the inlet funnel 8, for the purpose of providing a gas-tight and fluid-tight seal at the points of contact between the spherical surfaces. The horizontal arm 281 of the link pin is pivotally mounted in two bearings 3I provided on the machine housing, so that here again the portion 28, 281 of the feed pipe is able to follow the axial relative movements of the push-bottom 1, that is, of the rod rigidly connected thereto.

The operation of the centrifugal machine may be adapted in other ways to the quantity of material to be centrifuged arriving from a manufacturing plant, for example by varying the number of strokes of the pusher member per unit of time. For this purpose, for example, the delivery volume of the hydraulic pump 53 shown in Fig. 1 and delivering the oil under pressure required for effecting the reciprocating movements of the pusher member 'i may be varied. This may be achieved, for instance, by constructing the motor 55 driving the pump 53 as a commutator motor allowing of Varying the speed of the pump.

What is claimed is:

l. A continuously operable centrifugal machine, comprising a rotary driving shaft; a f0- raminous separator cage rigidly connected with said shaft; a housing enclosing said cage; a pusher member encircled by said cage and splined to said shaft so as to be shiftable in said cage in the direction of the shaft axis while turning with the shaft and cage; means for so shifting said pusher member; a flaring distributor shell connected with the pusher member so as to partake of the motions thereof and define therewith a distribution chamber isolated from the atmosphere by said shell, said chamber having an inlet on the axis of its rotation and a `peripheral discharge adjacent said cage; a nonrotating pipe opening into said inlet; a fluid tight running seal between said pipe and distributor shell; and means associated with said pipe for accommodating the axial motion of said distributor chamber while maintaining said seal.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which the means associated with the pipe comprises right-line guides for the pipe, said guides being parallel with the axis of said shaft.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 in which the means associated with the pipe comprises an axis transverse to the shaft axis on which the pipe may rock and spherical and transverse sliding components in the running seal serving to accommodate the arcuate path of the pipe at the seal.

4. A continuously operable centrifugal machine, comprising a rotary driving shaft; a foraminous separator cage rigidly connected with said shaft; a housing enclosing said cage; a pusher member encircled by said cage and splined to said shaft so as to be shiftable in said cage in the direction ofthe shaft axis while turning with the shaft and cage; means for so shifting said pusher member; two spaced coaxial flaring shells connected with the pusher member so as to partake of the motions thereof and define therewith a distribution chamber separated from the atmosphere by the outer one of said shells, said chamber having an inlet on the axis of its rotation and a peripheral discharge from the annular space between the shells and adjacent said cage; a non-rotating pipe opening into said inlet; a uid tight running seal between said pipe and said outer shell; and means associated with said pipe for accommodating the axial motion of said distributing chamber while maintaining said seal.

5. A continuously operable centrifugal machine, comprising a rotary driving shaft; a foraminous separator cage rigidly connected with said shaft; a housing enclosing said cage; a pusher member encircled by said cage and splined to said shaft so as to be shiftable in said cage in the direction of the shaft axis while turning with the shaft and cage; means for so shifting said pusher member; two spaced coaxial flaring shells connected with the pusher member so as to partake of the motions thereof and define therewith a distribution chamber separated from the atmosphere by the outer one of said shells, said chamber having an inlet on the axis of its rotation and a peripheral discharge from the annular space between the shells and adjacent said cage; a non-rotating pipe opening into said inlet; a fluid tight running seal between said pipe and said outer shell; means associated with said pipe for accommodating the axial motion of said distributing chamber while maintaining said seal; and a third flaring shell spaced from and encircling the first two shells and said running seal, and connected to rotate therewith, the last named shell being arranged to intercept leakage and deliver it to said cage.

6. A continuously operable centrifugal machine, comprising a rotary driving shaft; a foraminous separator cage rigidly connected with said shaft; a housing enclosing said cage; a pusher member encircled by said cage and splined to said shaft so as to be shifable in said cage in the direction of the shaft axis While .turning with the shaft and cage; means for so shifting said pusher member; a daring distributor shell connected with the pusher member so as to partake of the motions thereof and define therewith a distribution chamber separated from the atmosphere by said shell, said chamber having an inlet on the axis of its rotation and a peripheral discharge adjacent said cage; a non-rotating pipe opening into said inlet; a fluid tight y running seal between said pipe and distributor shell; means associated with said pipe for accommodating the axial motion of said distributor shell while maintaining said seal; and a flaring shell spaced from and encircling said distributor shell and said running seal and connected to rotate therewith, and being arranged to intercept leakage and deliver it to said cage.

References Cited in the i'lle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name f Date 1,138,608 Dibbets May 4, 1915 1,165,567 Brown Dec. 28, 1915 1,842,464 Ter Meer Jan. 26, 1932 2,096,594 Y Cil Oct. 19, 1937 2,232,768 Buddeberg Feb. 25, 1941 2,232,769 Buddeberg Feb. 25, 1941 2,232,770 Buddeberg Feb. 25, 1941 2,472,425 Howard June 7, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 7,368 Netherlands Aug. 15, 1922 494,409 Great Britain Oct. 25, 1938 699,927 Germany Dec. 9, 1940 220,555 Switzerland Apr, 15, 1942 

